-1Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.

A/N: Thanks to all you reviewers!

Heaven stared at her daughter a moment longer, still unable to admit the truth.

"I didn't lie to you Annie, not really. I only wanted to protect you."

Annie stared at her mother disbelievingly. "Protect me from what? A grandfather that sends me gifts?"

"You Don't know What he is!" Heaven replied.

"Then tell me! You never tell me anything. There's always secrets about the past, things you won't tell me-"

Heaven suddenly placed a hand over her daughter's mouth. "Don't say anything more, walk quietly into the house and I'll tell you what I know."

Annie nodded and obeyed her orders while Heaven walked determinedly after her, not sure exactly what she should tell her daughter.

Heaven took a deep breath as she sat opposite of her daughter in the small front room.

"Your father is not deceased," Heaven began.

Annie's face hardened in anger but she kept silent.

"However, I do not know where he is. He only keeps in contact with your grandfather…a friend of his," Heaven lied. That was one secret even her daughter should never know.

"When I found out that I was pregnant with you, I tried to get into contact with your father. I asked my father for his address, to let Troy, that is your father's name, know that I wanted him back. Unfortunately, my father is…not a kind man. He never gives anything freely, everything has a price."

"What was his price?" Annie asked breathlessly.

"He said he would give me your father's address for custody of you."

Annie sat back, looking confused. "That's it?"

Heaven sat forward disbelievingly. "What do you mean, 'That's it'?"

"Well that wasn't such a big thing to ask-"

"But you're my child, Annie," Heaven argued, not understanding her daughter at all.

"Well it wasn't like he was going to keep me from you or anything, was he? And considering those presents he gave me it seems to me he was in a lot better position to care for me than you ever were. He probably only wanted to make sure that I was o.k."

Heaven sat back, listening to her daughters words stung.

"I've always done my best to give you everything I could," Heaven said, voice barely above a whisper.

"I know mom, and I really appreciate it. But I just don't see why there was all this fuss over custody of me. Especially if my grandfather would still let me live with you and stuff. You'll always be my mom. And if we did this, we could get dad back. I've always wanted to have a dad around," Annie mumbled, shooting an angry look at her mother.

Heaven sighed. It was stupid of her to ever think that Annie could understand what her life had been like. Even if she did have the courage to tell Annie the whole truth, the young naïve girl would probably not believe her.

"I'm sorry, Annie," Heaven apologized even though it sounded empty even to her own ears.

"That's alright mom, we can make it better now."

"What?" Heaven asked sharply.

"We can make it better, you can go back to your father. I can get my father back!" Annie replied excitedly.

"No, Annie. There is no going back. I will not go back to my father."

"What about what I want? Does that not matter. What about my desire for a whole family-"

"I am keeping you away from your grandfather for your own good, this is my decision!" Heaven snapped.

Annie continued to argue, but Heaven was adamant. Their conflicts lessened over the Christmas break and Heaven began to dare to hope that their life would go back to the comfortable routine that it was before.

And so it was with new hope that Heaven took Annie back for her first day of school after winter break. That afternoon Heaven went back to Annie's school to pick her up. Annie usually stayed under the tree on the West end with her other friends until Heaven picked her up.

As Heaven pulled into the school grounds, she didn't see Annie at her usual spot. Heaven pulled into a nearby parking space and started walking towards her daughter's usual spot. Annie's friends were still standing around the tree, gesturing wildly with one another.

"Excuse me girls," Heaven started. The group looked up at her expectantly.

"I'm Annie's mom, is she in detention or something like that?" Heaven asked, thinking that the reason for her daughter's absence.

"Detention?" one of the girls asked. "Oh no, she's left already."

Heaven's stomach seemed to drop.

"Left? Left where?" Heaven asked.

"I don't know, there was this limo, it came-"

"Thanks," Heaven cut the girl off as she spun on her heel and raced back to her car. She knew exactly where her daughter was.

As Heaven drove her anger with Tony increased. The gravel of Farthy's driveway scattered as Heaven turned quickly into it, her tires squealing.

Not even bothering to park correctly, Heaven simply stopped her car and ran up to the large oaken doors, and pounded heavily upon them.

Suddenly the door opened and Heaven was standing face to face with the woman that used to her maid.

"Linda?" Heaven asked.

"Mrs. Stonewall?" Linda replied happily. It's so nice to see you after such a long time-"

"My Name isn't Stonewall and I'm only here for my daughter, have you seen her?" Heaven asked, in no mood for pleasantries.

"Oh was that pretty girl yours? Yes I just saw her, although I haven't had the pleasure of being introduced to her yet-"

"Where was she, who was she with?"

"Mr. Tatterton was just showing her around the grounds I assume."

"Where!" Heaven asked.

The maid looked at Heaven confusedly but pointed left nevertheless. "Over by the hedge ma-"

But Heaven didn't wait. She was running, running widely across the immaculate gardens, heedless of the flowers and bushes.

And there was the hedge maze before her, exactly as she remembered it. Tall and imposing, enveloped in darkness and mist even in the middle of the day.

She pushed her self forward, going through the well remembered paths of the maze quickly as if she had never left them.

"Annie!" Heaven shouted, her voice sounding desperate and tired even to her own ears. And still she ran, and suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

A vision greeted her, seemingly from the past. Her own self standing surely as she gazed faithfully up at Tony's face.

But wait.

Her hair had not been such a chestnut brown. The scene was not right.

And then Tony was turning to face her own present self. And his face was not as she remembered it. His hair was graying around his temples, and his eyes held a depth of craving that Heaven had never seen, had never wanted to see.

Perhaps he had been hiding it from her before, perhaps she had been hiding it from herself. But she knew at that moment that it had been there all along. And in that moment she also knew that her silly vision was not a vision. That no matter how much she wished it was a dream it was not. Harsh reality set in.

Her daughter was standing beside her grandfather, in the hedge maze, gazing up at him with loving devotion. Her daughter was trapped. As surely entranced as she had been at her age. The loving father figure with the beautiful gardens, offering you the world. How would she refuse? Heaven knew she wouldn't, she would have to save her daughter herself.

"Let her go!" Heaven shouted. Annie jumped, she hadn't seen her mother until just then. Tony only continued to gaze steadily at Heaven.

"I'm not holding her," Tony replied.

"Annie, come here this instant!" Heaven ordered.

"Mom, just calm down. I just wanted to talk to my grandfather, that's-"

"Annie-" Heaven began again but Tony cut her off with his clear even tone.

"I believe your mother and I have much to discuss, Annie. Why don't you go back to the manor. Just keep heading East, and I'm sure you'll be able to find your way out. The maid's name is Linda, she can get the chef to get you something to eat."

Annie nodded obediently and began to walk out of the maze. Heaven tried not to show how much it hurt her to see her daughter obey Tony so easily.

Heaven turned to watch her daughter leave, thinking for a moment to just leave with her.
"Walk with me, Heaven," Tony asked as he turned to walk deeper into the hedge maze.

"Why?" Heaven spat.

"I need a reason to walk with my daughter?-"

"Stop! Stop with that 'I'm your father' crap you always use."

"Fine, I'll use reason then. Come walk with me for no other reason than to come to an agreement."

"An agreement about what, you have nothing I want. Just stay away from my daughter!"

Tony chuckled. "You're right, I don't really have anything that you might want. But I ask you, if you leave now with your daughter, with no explanation. How long do you think it will be until she comes back to see me?"

"I will stop her," Heaven replied confidently.

"Oh, I'm sure you will try Heaven. But she is my granddaughter, I'm sure she's quite clever when she puts her mind to getting something she wants. And what she wants now is me. Not to be vain, but I have captured her curiosity, at the very least. A couple more meetings…you never know. She may come to love her poor sweet grandfather who was kept from his family by her cruel mother."

Heaven glared angrily at Tony.

"Leave now Heaven, and your daughter will learn to hate you… So," Tony continued, "let's avoid all that unpleasantness and just, take a walk shall we?" and then Tony turned and began walking deeper into the hedge maze.

And Heaven followed.

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